I spotted the ‘One-Hour Cheese’ book by Claudia Lucero when I was cruising kobobooks. My favourite pastime. Bought it, and when I glanced over this curried paneer recipe, I knew it would be the recipe I’d start with. Adding curry powder to the cheese itself is so brilliant in all its simplicity!

First time someone asked me if I’d ever eaten grilled paneer, I shrugged my shoulders and thought they were just being silly. You see; paneer is the Dutch name for those breadcrumbs you add to meatballs and burgers. I’ve wizened up since then. Somewhat.

For those of you not familiar with this cheese: paneer is a firm, Indian type of cheese that doesn’t melt, making it perfect for grilling or sautéing.

This turned out unbelievably good and so simple it leaves me wondering why I didn’t make this sooner. I added a few dried chilis giving the paneer a nice kick and the curry powder gave it a wonderful flavour along with a pretty color.

Make paneer, people. Your life will be empty without it so you need to make curried paneer and you need to make it soon. No exotic ingredients or other fun stuff, I promise. Just cheese and nothing but the cheese!

For the Dutchies; I didn’t use raw milk for this, simply store-bought. Worked like a charm for me. This recipes makes for 1/2 a pound cheese.

Get your stuff together: cheesecloth (mine was a jam cloth; it worked) a colander and thermometer.

Decided to use bottles of lime juice instead of fresh juice and I opted for a basic, English curry powder.

Pour the milk in a large pan and put it on the stove.

Stir in the curry powder.

The reason we need a thermometer is that the milk needs to be at exactly 93Cº (200Fº) when we add the lime juice. It should not boil! We’ll be getting close to boiling temperature, so keep an eye on it, though.

Check the temperature and stir now and then to prevent skin from forming.

As soon as the temp reached the 90Cº (194Fº) I stirred in the chili flakes. This gives a nice kick, go for 1/4 tsp if you like less heat or leave it out altogether. I think adding some dried thyme might taste really good as well.

At exactly 93Cº (200Fº) you pour in the lime juice.

Coagulation should happen instantly. If it doesn’t; add more lime juice, a tbsp at a time, until it happens.

Lower the heat and gently stir the curds for 2 minutes.

Spoon the curds into the cheesecloth to let them drain for a few minutes.

The recipe in the book said to add 1 tbsp flake salt, but that cannot possibly be right. I added 1 tsp kosher salt and it was plenty salty.

You could also use 1/2 tsp table salt instead of kosher salt. If you plan on adding the paneer to a curry you might want to add even less salt.

Stir in the salt.

Grab the corners of the cloth.

Twist them to create a tight bundle. Squeeze to release more of the whey.

Place the bundle in the colander.

Put a flat plate on top. Use an empty milk gallon, cleaned and filled with water, or another heavy item as a weight.

Press the paneer for 30 minutes or so. The longer you press it, the firmer it will be.

Unwrap it, and it’s ready to use now. I decided to put it in the fridge first for a few hours, that’ll get it even firmer.

You’ll need a cheesecloth, a colander and thermometer. Pour the milk in a large pan and put it on the stove and stir in the curry powder. Heat while stirring nowe andf then to prevent a skin from forming.

As soon as the temperature reaches 90Cº (194Fº) you stir in the chili flakes. Use 1/4 for a smaller kick. At exactly 93Cº (200Fº) you pour in the lime juice. CCoagulation should happen instantly. If it doesn’t; add more lime juice, a tbsp at a time, until it happens. Lower the heat and stir the curds for 2 minutes.

Spoon the curds into the cheesecloth to let them drain for a few minutes. Stir in the salt (1 tsp kosher salt equals 1/2 tsp table salt). Grab the corners of the cloth. Twist them to create a tight bundle. Squeeze to release more of the whey. Place the bundle in the colander, put a flate plate on top and use an empty milk gallon filled with water as a weight.

Press the paneer for 30 minutes or so. The longer you press it, the firmer it will be. Unwrap it, and it’s ready to use now. I decided to put it in the fridge first for a few hours, that’ll get it even firmer.